Seattle Kraken acquire Mackie Samoskevich from Panthers for draft picks
PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 05: Mackie Samoskevich #11 of the Florida Panthers in action during the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG PAINTS Arena on April 5, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Joe Sargent / NHLI / Getty Images)
SEATTLE - The Seattle Kraken have made their first significant addition of the offseason, acquiring forward Mackie Samoskevich from the Florida Panthers for a pair of draft picks.
The Kraken sent one of their two first-round picks in this week's NHL Draft – No. 25 overall – and a conditional 2027 second-round pick to the Panthers to acquire Samoskevich. Seattle still holds the No. 7 overall pick in the draft, which begins on Friday night.
"Mackie is a talented young player who we are excited to bring into the fold," general manager Jason Botterill said in a statement. "He has speed, skill and scoring ability. A Stanley Cup champion with the Panthers in 2025, Mackie's a player who can contribute offensively and add a spark to our lineup."
Samoskevich, 23, has appeared in 156 games for the Panthers over the last three seasons, being a full-time NHL player the last two years. Samoskevich has 63 career points on 27 goals and 36 assists. Samoskevich is a restricted free agent, which will require the Kraken to tender him a contract ahead of NHL free agency at the end of June – or sign him to a new contract. Now that Seattle owns his rights, Samoskevich could sign a max-length contract of eight years, which would not be available to the rest of the teams in the league.
Samoskevich is a right-shot winger, which the Kraken don't have many of in the top of their lineup. Jordan Eberle, Freddy Gaudreau, Ryan Winteron and Jacob Melanson are the only right-handed wingers on Seattle's roster. Melanson is also a restricted free agent.
Seattle acquired extra second-round picks from the Columbus Blue Jackets (for Mason Marchment) and the Winnipeg Jets (for Brandon Tanev) over the past two seasons. The higher of those two picks will go to Florida to complete this deal, while the lower pick will go to the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of the trade to acquire Bobby McMann ahead of the trade deadline.
The Kraken still hold their own second-round pick in 2027.
Samoskevich's sister, Maddy, plays for the Vancouver Goldeneyes in the PWHL.
The Source: Information in this story came from the Seattle Kraken and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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